The pair fills up 5-gallon jugs at the store, and they rely on that water to sustain them during the week. Installing their own filtration system could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, they said — an amount the Fletchers can’t afford right now. LeRoy Fletcher works in the waste industry, and Amber Fletcher homeschools the kids.
“As bad as we need it, our whole community probably needs it, to be honest with you, because of how bad everything is contaminated,” LeRoy Fletcher said in a phone call. “But that’s something that’s just outside of our reach right now. It’s really scary.”
The Fletchers still rely on the water from their local provider, Dalton Utilities, for their chickens, to clean dishes and to bathe, although they worry they could be absorbing chemicals through their skin.
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The Fletchers are taking protective measures in an effort to avoid a group of compounds called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.